Gov. Andrew Cuomo has demanded that state-licensed foster care agencies hand over the names of children taken from their parents at the southern border in their care — and threatening legal action to get the data.
“There are facilities the state regulates and they won’t even tell me,” Cuomo said on NY1 Friday.
Sheila Poole, acting commissioner of the state Office of Children and Family Services, sent a letter Thursday to all social service providers requesting the names and ages of children they received from the federal Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The letter also requests the names of their parents and the date and location of their separation.
“You should consider this request the equivalent of a subpoena for such records under our authority,” Poole said.
“Failure to respond timely to this request may result in the state’s suspension, revocation or limitation of your residential program’s operating certificate; the withdrawal of approval of your program’s authority to board out children; and/or the referral of the matter for criminal prosecution,” Poole warned in the letter, first obtained by Telemundo47.
The letter also requests copies of contracts the providers have with the federal government.
Cuomo complained that federal immigration officials won’t share the information — so his administration is putting the not-for-profit agencies on the spot.
“We regulate the facilities and we have a right to inspect these facilities and find out who’s there,” Cuomo said.
He said as many as 700 kids are housed in New York facilities.